SCSA

2016 VET Awards

Students, parents, school staff and panel members should be commended on their efforts in making this year’s VET Awards a great success.

The calibre of students was very high with most presenting themselves professionally, confidently and with a thorough knowledge of their chosen field.

The panels were very pleased by the level of support students were given in preparing for their nominations and interviews. It was quite evident where this had occurred.

An online expression of interest form will be available again next year if a staff member from your school would like to participate in the 2017 VET awards as a panel member.

We look forward to your school’s involvement in future VET awards.

All the best from the VET team

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2016 VET Awards – only two weeks left to nominate!

VET Awards nominations close 5 September 2016 4:30pm. Schools can access the 2016 VET Awards Nomination form to nominate eligible students.

To assist in meeting the deadline you should have received the workplace representative declaration and you should now be finalising the VET coordinator declaration and student statement/resume.

The 2016 VET Awards Nomination Kit has useful information and checklists to assist you in the nomination process. You can download the kit here.

Further support can be found via awards@scsa.wa.edu.au

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Schools  are now able to upload student VET enrolments with the new TAFE codes as per  below:

• Central  Regional TAFE – 52789
• North  Metropolitan TAFE – 52786
• North  Regional TAFE – 52788
• South  Metropolitan TAFE – 57787
• South  Regional TAFE – 52790

ENVET
Schools  who have previously uploaded VET enrolments (ENVET) with the old TAFE codes are  advised to re-upload their VET  enrolments with the new TAFE codes.

The  new TAFE code will replace the old TAFE code for each student record where a  new RTO code has been registered and there are no other variations to the  original VET enrolment file.  Any other  variations to the original enrolment file other than the RTO code will create a  new enrolment record for that student.

RSVET
Please  note that as students may undertake a unit of competency with multiple RTOs,  the RSVET file will only replace a student record with an amended RTO code the  first time (ENVET followed by RSVET).  All  subsequent uploads of the RSVET file (RSVET followed by RSVET) will create a  new record where there is a change in the RTO code.

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Special Consideration – Certificate II or higher WACE requirement for Year 12 students bulk application process.

Schools may apply for Special Consideration on behalf of multiple students when their WACE achievement has been adversely affected by complications with an RTO partnership through a bulk application process.

Bulk applications for special consideration should be used as a last resort for students who have been affected by complications with an RTO partnership, or RTO certification and resulting processes.

Bulk applications for special consideration must be emailed to certification@scsa.wa.edu.au by no later than 31 October 2016, unless otherwise approved by the Director, Standards and Certification.

Access to the relevant special consideration form and more information can be located on the Authority website under Forms > Application and Order Forms > Special Considerations at the following link: http://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/forms/forms

Important note: In the situation where an RTO’s registration or scope of delivery has been impacted, schools will need to apply to the Authority for WACE recognition of previous or current year full qualifications that have already been reported in SIRS in the affected qualifications. Upon approval of an application for special consideration, the unit equivalence for the affected qualifications will be allocated as per the normal VET credit arrangements for WACE and the Certificate II or higher minimum requirement deemed to be met; however, the achievement will not appear on the Western Australian Statement of Student Achievement (WASSA).

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In a nutshell – student VET achievements (achieved after 1 January 2015) will not contribute towards meeting WACE requirements.

For more information please read the June circular item: Consequences of not providing a VET Unique Student Identifier (USI).

Read more>

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Due to TAFE code changes earlier this year, schools who have uploaded VET enrolments into the Student Information and Records System (SIRS) using the original TAFE provider codes should adjust this via the upload of ENVET and/or RSVET files.

For more information on how to do this read the June 2016 circular item: Changes to Registered Training Organisation codes – adjusting VET enrolments in the Student Information Records System (SIRS).

Read more>

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If you would like to know how VET industry specific WACE courses are structured and how course unit credit is allocated across Years 11 and 12 then read the June 2016 circular item: VET industry specific WACE course structure.

Read more>

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As of 1 July 2016 information on the VETinfoNET website has moved to the Department of Training and Workforce Development’s website.

The VETinfoNET website is no longer available.

Information about professional development for VET practitioners can be found here:
http://www.dtwd.wa.gov.au/trainingproviders/vet

The nominal hours guides and training product search can be found here:
http://www.dtwd.wa.gov.au/trainingproviders/nom-hours-prod-search

VET in Schools information can be found here:
http://www.dtwd.wa.gov.au/employeesandstudents/school-students

These links are now accessible and a redirect has been put in place to allow users to update their bookmarks.

For further information please contact Mr David Appleby, Manager Digital Training Services, by telephone on 6212 9733 or email david.appleby@dtwd.wa.gov.au

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Advice for preparing student nominations

General tips for the VET awards process

• Start early. The process requires statements from the student, their workplace representative and the VET coordinator, so there is a lot to get organised prior to the actual online nomination. Download the 2016 VET Awards nomination kit for more information:

• Nominations can only be made online by the  school at https://sirs.scsa.wa.edu.au/scsaform/vetnominationform
• No late nominations will be accepted.  Nominations close Monday, 5 September 2016 (4.30pm)
• Ensure that Workplace learning (ADWPL) and VET  enrolments have been uploaded prior to the online nomination. Only eligible  students will be displayed on the online VET nomination form.
• When scanning documents ensure that the file  sizes are no more than 2 MB. Your nomination may not process if the file sizes  are any bigger.
• If you have any problems with the online  nomination process you can get help during August and September by emailing awards@scsa.wa.edu.au
• Ensure that students will be available for  interview during the week commencing 17 October. Please be aware that there is  no opportunity to make any changes to the interview time offered to the  student.

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WACE 2016 comes with some identified challenges and to assist schools and staff at the Authority in managing SIRS VET reporting we have highlighted some common issues and new processes to be mindful of early in the year.  With limited SCSA staff members to provide timely assistance in SIRS data related queries and errors in 2016, it is important that all requests are as clear and concise as possible to prevent delays in providing an appropriate solution.

Situation: Student commences a VET qualification however after some time the RTO transitions to the more recent qualification code.  The student has achieved some units under the old qualification code and some units under the new qualification code.

Issue: RSQUAL file errors due to insufficient units of competency under the current qualification code.

Solution: Ensure that all units of competency achieved under the old qualification code are credit transferred (i.e. result code 60) under the new qualification through uploading the RSVET file before re-uploading the RSQUAL file.

Remember to upload RSQUAL as this is a requirement for recognition of VET in the WACE

Issue:  VET achievement file (RSVET) errors due to a mismatch between the USI in the VET enrolments file (ENVET).

Solution: Upload a new student registration file (SRGDG) with the correct USI before re-uploading the RSVET file.

Trouble with changes to USI email dataservices@scsa.wa.edu.au

Please note: It is now a mandatory requirement that all ADWPL that is being used to meet VET industry specific course requirements is linked to the relevant qualification as part of the course.  VET industry specific course requirements cannot be met without providing the associated qualification in the ENEND and RSEND file uploads.

• Copy only one of each error message per student before emailing dataservices@scsa.wa.edu.au as receiving multiples of the same error message may inhibit response time
• Be as precise as possible in your requests

If you receive an error message which identifies a unit of competency or competencies that are not linked to a qualification please copy and paste in the email to VETlinking@scsa.wa.edu.au only one of each error message.

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Recently there has been a number of common enquiries about WACE certification and VET. The most common questions have been:

• ‘is this student on track to meet WACE?’
• ‘can this student can drop a course?’
• ‘will a student’s VET be a sufficient replacement for them to still meet WACE?’

To assist you with such queries two samples have been provided as a reference in addition and a WACE scenario template to assist you in determining student WACE eligibility namely:

• Can this student drop a course in Year 12?

and

• Is this student on track for WACE?

In the first instance please refer to these support materials prior to contacting the Authority. If you require further assistance, the Authority’s Certification and VET teams will use the scenario in the template format that you provide to address your query more efficiently and precisely.

For further assistance email VETinfo@scsa.wa.edu.au

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We have developed a quick reference guide that outlines the VET industry specific course components and enrolment and resulting process which may be useful for school admin staff, VET coordinators and those responsible for reporting enrolments and achievements to SIRS.

The VET industry specific data procedure quick reference guide can also be located on our VET industry specific course page http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/vet/vet-industry-specific

Stay tuned for an e-circular item to be published in June on the structure of VET industry specific courses.

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As of 1 July information currently available on the VETinfoNet website will be moved to the Department of Training and Workforce Development website at dtwd.wa.gov.au and the VETinfoNet website will be decommissioned. This update will ensure all VET sector information is centralised in one location.

Many of you may currently use VETinfoNet to access the nominal hours guides through the training products search will be available in the Training Providers section of the Department’s website. The information relating to VET in Schools such as the VET in School Qualifications register, pre-apprenticeship in schools, or School based apprenticeships or traineeship business rules will be available in the Employees and Student’s section.

A redirect will be in place to allow users to update their bookmarks.

For further information please contact David Appleby, Manager Digital Training Services, by telephone on 62129733 or email david.appleby@dtwd.wa.gov.au

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NOTE: This message does NOT apply to Qualification Estimates (ESQUAL) due on April 6.

To accommodate the changes to RTO codes for the newly amalgamated TAFE colleges from Monday April 11 the Authority advises that schools delay uploading VET enrolments until after this date so that the information in SIRS can include the new RTO codes.

If your school has already enrolled students in VET, a mechanism in SIRS will be available from the first week of Term 2 that will replace existing RTO codes with new RTO codes in a subsequent upload of ENVET and/or RSVET. That is, if an ENVET or RSVET file is uploaded with an RTO code different to the current ENVET record SIRS will replace and accept the new RTO code.

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This e-circular talks about how to enrol and result both the non-assessable and assessable work placement modules in SIRS.

Read more>

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The previously referred to State Training Providers (STPs) are now referred to as TAFE once again.

From 11 April 2016, the current 11 TAFE colleges and their 70 campus locations will be managed by a network of five TAFE colleges.

The key changes aim to make a more sustainable public training sector with higher qualification training outcomes for students and industry.

For further reading visit Changes to TAFE in Western Australia

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RTOs will now have 18 months instead of 12 months from the date the superseding training product was released on the National Register (training.gov.au) to transition students to the updated training package qualifications or complete their studies and issue the appropriate certification.

This provision only applies for training products endorsed by the AISC from September 2015 until March 2016.

A list of qualifications has been provided to ensure a clear understanding of which products are in scope and have an 18 month transition period. Further updates to the list will be made as further decisions are made by the AISC through to 31 March 2016.

For the complete article click here

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Just another reminder to schools that there is a new practice to verify that the workplace component (ADWPL) adequately supports the qualification undertaken as part of a VET industry specific course.

The information required as part of the integrity check is listed below, schools may wish to include this information in their recordkeeping practices:

• Main Job Role
• Employer
• Start Date
• Work Placement Arrangement (Block release, Daily/Weekly)
• Workplace Occurrence (Total number of weeks released, Days per week in the workplace)
• Scheduled Work Placement (During the semester, Holidays, Combination)
• Course Duration (1 or 2 years)
• Delivery Arrangement (Auspice, SBT, SBA, Profile, NoA, Fee for service, Combination)
• RTO Name.

Read more>

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For all new and continuing student enrolments in the Automotive VET industry specific course in 2016, please refer to the 2015 Automotive Syllabus for continuing enrolments.

This can be found at http://wace1516.scsa.wa.edu.au/syllabus-and-support-materials/vet-industry-specific/automotive under the Continuing Enrolments tab.

Alternatively you can directly download the 2015 Automotive VET industry specific syllabus here

Read more>

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The 2016 VET Awards Nomination Kit and the 2016 VET Awards Info Sheet is now available here

This nomination kit has been designed to assist schools through the various steps of the VET awards nomination process which we hope will make it a smooth process for everyone in 2016.

Nominations for VET Exhibitions and Certificates of excellence (VET) close Monday 5 September 2016 (4:30pm).

Remember that for students to be eligible for a Beazley Medal: VET award in 2016, students must have been awarded a VET Exhibition.

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From this yeareach school is required to report the VET qualifications that students are undertaking (this includes students who go offsite to access their training at external providers) as well as student details against each qualification.

Schools do not need to report the individual units of competence within each qualification however. Also schools are not required to update the ESQUAL file after the deadline unless there is a significant change in VET offerings.

Important to note – Each time the ESQUAL file is uploaded to SIRS it will completely replace the previous file. This means that if you wish to update the information in your ESQUAL upload file, make sure that all students are included in each upload rather than only uploading the updated students to ensure that all information is maintained on your school record in SIRS.

Refer to Section 4.3 VET qualification estimates (ESQUAL) of the Data Procedures Manual for further details of this mandatory reporting process.

The deadline for this data to be uploaded to SIRS is by Wednesday, 6 April 2016

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Take a look at the new national website developed to support the national Framework for VET and Vocational Learning delivered to Secondary Students, Preparing Secondary Students for Work.

The website was designed to support the Preparing Secondary Students for Work - A framework for vocational learning and VET delivered to secondary students developed by a working group established under the Education Council which includes Education Ministers from all states and territories. Following extensive national consultations the framework was endorsed by the Council in December 2014.

The framework and all the associated resources on this website have been developed by Australian and state and territory governments in partnership with the education and training sector and peak industry bodies.

To assist schools to understand and use the framework a range of resources and tools are available.

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Perhaps not, but in case you are interested, the latest Australasian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA) VET report is available on our Resources and Links page.

ACACA is the national body consisting of the heads of all the Boards of Study (the equivalent to the  School Curriculum and Standards Authority in other jurisdictions) that are responsible for certificates of senior secondary education. The ACACA Report on VET in Senior Secondary Certificates of Education has been prepared by the ACACA VET Group that is made up of senior officers from each ACACA agency

The report provides a valuable reference for the position of Boards of Study in relation to VET delivered to secondary students as well as a detailed summary of how VET contributes to the various Senior Secondary Certificates of Education across our country.

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Support materials for the 10 VET industry specific courses are now available in the 2016 Support Materials section located under each VET industry specific course syllabus.

These support materials referred to as VET industry specific course and Post-Secondary Pathways (Pathways) documents can be found here by clicking on the relevant VET industry specific course.

The Pathways documents provide students with a snapshot of the potential opportunities in further and higher education. It illustrates the progression from Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) level 2 through to level 9 within the relevant industry or industries.

The Pathways documents are a support material for each of the 10 VET industry specific courses however they may also be used for other purposes such as career counselling or to support your VET credit transfer programs.

If using the Pathways documents in print form, to maximise its use it is suggested that the document is printed in colour on size A3 paper with landscape orientation. Please see additional instructions on how to use the Pathways documents also located under the 2016 Support Materials for each VET industry specific course.

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